“After we had taken the picture, he noticed my tattoo and kind of grabbed me to look at it, and was really obsessed about whether I had Pluto on this tattoo or not . . . and then he looked for Pluto, and followed the tattoo into my dress,” Allers said in a statement.

DeGrasse responded in an online post that was titled “On Being Accused” by saying says he welcomes and will fully cooperate with an impartial, independent investigation into the claims against him.

Tyson also says he didn’t grope Allers, but “simply searched under the covered part of the shoulder of her sleeveless dress to check out her tattoo.” He says he found out she thought it was creepy 9 years later, and is “deeply sorry to have made her feel that way.” He ended by saying the two had a “genuine friendship” and he’s innocent of sexual misconduct.

Tyson also is facing allegations from Tchiya Amet, who’s said that Tyson drugged and assaulted her when they were both in graduate school together. Tyson acknowledges that he and Amet had a “brief” sexual relationship, but denies that the incident in question ever happened.